Ken Ober (July 3, 1957 – November 15, 2009)was an American game show host, comedian, and actor.
Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, he was raised in Hartford, Connecticut. Ober hosted four game shows over the course of his career. He received his break after appearing as a contestant on Star Search. He was most widely known for his role on the MTV game show Remote Control, which he hosted for three seasons, spanning 1987 to 1989, then in reruns for an additional two years. Ober was known among ’90s and ’00s audiences for his hosting jobs on Make Me Laugh, Smush, and the ESPN game show Perfect Match.
In 1995, Ober hosted a Los Angeles talk radio show with former Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen. The show, known as Ober and Olsen, aired on 97.1 KLSX. (Olsen had previously appeared on an episode of Remote Control that featured Brady Bunch cast members competing.)
In 2002, Ober served as supervising producer for Colin Quinn’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, which was a reunion of sorts; Quinn was the announcer on Remote Control. He was also a guest on one episode.
Ober starred in the Blues Traveler video for the song "Hook". He also had a smaller role in the same band’s videos for "Run-Around" and "The Mountains Win Again".
He served as a producer for the CBS comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine, and is also known for a series of Jenga commercials.
Death of Ken Ober
Ken Ober died at his home in Santa Monica on November 15, 2009 at the age of 52. According to friends, Ober had been feeling ill and was complaining of headaches, chronic chest pain, and flu-like symptoms the previous afternoon and did not meet them later as planned.